A roof today is generally comprised of a number of components, most supplied and installed by different contractors. In residential construction insulation is often placed within an attic space situated below the roof. In winter water vapour, rising up from the living area below, can dampen the insulation and reduce its effectiveness. In summer the attic space absorbs solar heat from the roof and becomes a ‘hot box’ radiating heat to the living areas below and placing additional demand on the house cooling system. It is known that in many cases inefficient roof construction accounts for a large proportion of a building's energy losses.
In some cases, roofing is provided that includes metal panels affixed to a sub-roof or to an insulation layer on a subroof. However, such metal panels can be difficult to install and typically require support across their width. Further, the thermal properties of such metal panels can be significantly affected by the exposure of the surface of the metal panels to wind.
Roofs are now often installed with, or retrofitted to support, solar collection panels. Where a solar collection installation is installed on a roof, the collectors typically consist of heavy glazed glass panels contained within fabricated metal framing. Additional metal framing is typically required to attach the panels to the roof. Depending upon the size of the installation the roof may require additional reinforcement at the point of connection of the solar collection installation.
There is a need for a roof panel and roofing system that is straightforward to construct. There is an additional need for a roof panel and roofing system that provides convenient support for installations on a roof, such as a solar collection installation. There is a further need for a roof panel and roofing system that combines the functions of structure, insulation and weatherproofing in a single panel. Further, there is a need to provide a means for preventing such metal panels from being exposed to wind.